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Pită cu untură
Bread with lard and onion
Pită cu untură: Banat bread spread with pork lard, paprika and salt, with raw onion
In the Banat villages around Timișoara, where bread is still called pită, the simplest snack of all is a thick slice of country bread spread with white pork lard, sprinkled with salt and red paprika and eaten with a raw onion bitten like an apple. It was the field workers' mid-morning bite and the thing grandparents give children when they come in from playing; today it turns up at pig-slaughter feasts and as a cheeky snack with a glass of buttermilk. The cold lard is creamy, the paprika sweet and smoky, the onion sharp and juicy. The one mistake to avoid is cold bread from the fridge: the lard will not spread and the slice tastes flat. Chef's tip: lard with crackling bits (untură cu jumări) from a good butcher makes it even better; whip plain lard with a pinch of salt for 1 minute if it is too firm.
- Total time
- 5 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
- 4 slices white or light rye country breadabout 2 cm thick
- 2 ⅛ oz rendered pork lardat room temperature
- ½ tsp flaky salt
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 red or white onioncut into wedges
- 1 green pepper or hot pepper (optional)sliced
- 1 ripe tomato (optional)sliced
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: If the 2 ⅛ oz rendered pork lard is firm, beat it with a fork for 1 minute until soft and spreadable.
1 minStep 2: Spread the lard thickly over the 4 slices white or light rye country bread, right to the crusts.
2 minStep 3: Sprinkle each slice with ½ tsp flaky salt and dust with 1 tsp sweet paprika until it is evenly red.
1 minStep 4: Serve straight away with wedges of 1 red or white onion, plus 1 green pepper or hot pepper and 1 ripe tomato if you like.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pită cu untură take?
- About 5 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of sweet paprika?
- Smoked paprika, half the amount.
- What can I use instead of red or white onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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